WEST BOOTHBAY HARBOR, ME – Shrimp fishermen up and down the Maine and New Hampshire coastlines – and possibly a few from Massachusetts – were readying to head out to sea on Jan. 23, the first day that trawl vessels were allowed to fish during this 2013 northern shrimp season.
Opening day details were unavailable as CFN was going to press, but a series of preseason test tows conducted on Jan. 13 and Jan. 15 provided some insights into what the fleet might expect. Working under a “special license” that allowed them to “take and possess shrimp out of season,” three Maine boats and one from New Hampshire fished with state observers on board to gather information about overall counts per pound, levels of egg hatch, and catch rates.
Read the rest and much, much more in the February issue of Commercial Fisheries News. Read online immediately and download for future reference.
Updating...